After 20 Years, Here are Some Things I've Learned About Public Speaking
I can clearly remember the first time I grabbed a microphone (in those days they were all corded), stepped out onto the stage and began to speak to a crowd of kids. It was a Sidewalk Sunday School program in Harlem, New York, and I was 20 years old. Skip ahead 20+ years and I’ve stood on countless stages, held lots of mics (now cordless), and spoken to thousands of people.
When I was younger I remember hearing that if you were nervous about speaking in public then you should imagine the audience in their underwear. Or look above their heads at the back of the room as if nobody else was there with you. I’ll just come right out and say it: this advice is absolute trash! Picture people in their undies?! How in the world is that helpful?! It isn’t. Over the years I’ve learned that these things are helpful when you’re speaking in public:
Know who you’re speaking to.
Who you’re speaking to should impact several things:
How you’re speaking. Your tone, your vocal inflections, how you’re using your body (with kids it’s a lot, with adults it’s less), what kind of illustrations and visuals you’re using to interactive with, etc.
How long you’re speaking. Kids have much shorter attention spans than adults. Sunday School lessons for kids are shorter than sermons for adults. Though honestly, lots of sermons could be waaaay shorter than they currently are.
What you’re speaking about. Make sure what you’re talking about is relevant and appropriate to your audience.
What examples you’re using. Knowing your audience changes up what kind of examples you’re using to help them apply the message to their real life.
Focus on your message more than on yourself.
For a long time I led Indoor Sunday School at Metro in New York and every time I felt the nerves and intimidation of speaking to literally hundreds of kids plus all of the staff and visitors from around the world who were there attending, I would focus myself on what was actually important; and it wasn’t me at that moment. When I say ‘me’ I mean those kinds of thoughts that we all have - what others will think of you, how you look, how you speak, how you’re dressed, whether they like you or not, etc. Those are super common things we focus on when we’re about to step out into the spotlight and speak with all eyes on us. But that’s not the important thing, nor is it the thing you want to focus on. I found that for me, the message, the lesson, the teaching was the important thing to have my mind focused on. I’d willfully pull my attention to these things:
What concept do I want them to understand?
What important thing do I want them to know?
How best can I teach this point with clarity?
When your focus is on the content of your message then you become a better communicator because you’re not thinking about you, you’re thinking about them; you’re focused on the audience and what meaningful information you’re passing on to them. How it can help their lives. How it can help them understand something better. Learning to switch my focus has helped me loads with managing my nerves and keeping the main thing the main thing.
What you do with your body and voice matters. It either helps or it hinders your message.
Eye contact is good. Pacing back and forth is bad. Effective pauses are good. Droning on in a monotone voice is bad. Learning (and practicing) some key principles of communication is really important. If you’re interested, check out Workshop Talk on my Training page and look for Principles of Communication.
It’s your job to keep the attention and read the room.
If people are bored and uninterested, don’t blame them. As a communicator it’s on you to do something different. There’s a good chance it’s not the content you’re teaching that isn’t great, it’s how you’re communicating it. Ouch! You might feel a little personally attacked by that but it’s just the honest truth. Whether I’m teaching Sunday School lessons to kids or leading workshops with adults, I’m always reading the room…and adjusting accordingly.
You’ve got to put in the work.
Great communicators work to be great communicators. It’s a skill you learn and hone. And nobody else can do it for you. You’ve got to want to get better at public speaking by practicing in private, speaking in public, getting feedback and repeating that cycle over and over and over again.
Here’s an idea that is really effective but also totally uncomfortable: record yourself on video and watch it. Not many of us can watch ourselves without cringing at least a little. Why do I always that with my hands?! Why do I constantly use that word or phrase?! How did I not notice that I mumble so much?! Have I always paced back and forth like that?! It’s a sobering evaluation but it’s incredibly helpful and will make you a better communicator.
Less is more.
Learning to pare down your teaching outline is a challenge. Naturally, we always want to say more and explain things again, just to make sure you’ve got it. I don’t know how many times I’ve coached teachers and literally yelled out, “Land the plane already!!!” Meaning, wrap it up! You’ve made your point. We’ve got it. OR, you haven’t made your point, we don’t got it, and now we’re all just bored and frustrated that you’re still up there talking.
On that note, I’m wrapping this blog up. If you’d like to hear more or know more, reach out! Let’s connect!
